Chef José Andrés’ Spanish Tortilla Has a Secret Crunchy Ingredient

By Parade

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Photo by Peter Frank Edwards

“The classic Spanish tortilla de patatas takes time and patience—you need to cook the potatoes slowly in olive oil, then drain and cool them before mixing them with the eggs,” says Spanish American celebrity chef (and Nobel Peace Prize nominee!) José Andrés in his new cookbook, , co-authored with award-winning food journalist Matt Goulding. In this version, Andrés takes a cue from his former mentor, the celebrated chef Ferran Adrià, who came up with a simple idea: “Use potato chips instead. Spain’s incredible potato chips are fried in olive oil, and once they soak up the egg, they rehydrate and behave like fresh potatoes. Brilliant!” says Andrés. “I’ve gone one step further here, swapping out regular potato chips for . This colorful mix of root vegetables makes a beautiful ten-minute tortilla.”

[Excerpt from Vegetables Unleashed by José Andrés and Matt Goulding. Copyright 2019 by José Andrés. Excerpted by permission of Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.]

Directions

Heat oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium. Add egg mixture and shake pan in a circular motion for 10 seconds to keep mixture loose as eggs start to coagulate. Reduce heat and cook 1 minute or until egg is set on bottom but tortilla is still loose on top. (This will produce a loose tortilla—if you want a firmer tortilla, cook another 30 seconds before flipping.)

Place a plate over pan, invert pan and shake tortilla onto the plate. If the pan looks dry, add a bit more oil. Slide tortilla back into pan, uncooked side down. Cook 1 minute or until bottom has fully set. Slide tortilla onto a serving plate. Garnish with sea salt and reserved chips.